Music

Kim Kardashian West says Taylor Swift has left her no choice but to set the record straight about the phone call between Kanye and Taylor that led to years of conflict.

Over the weekend, unseen footage from the 2016 call leaked online. In the call, Kanye tells Taylor about a song he's working on -- that he later released as "Famous" -- with lyrics about Taylor. Swift seems nervous to hear what Kanye has to say ... but calms down after he tells her the lyrics are simply, "I feel like Taylor Swift might owe me sex."

When Kanye did release "Famous," the final lyrics were different, West rapped, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. I made that bitch famous." The song reignited the feud between Kanye and Taylor, with the main source of contention focusing on the word "bitch."

At the time of the song's release, Taylor's rep allegedly told EW, "Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric."

On Monday, Taylor broke her silence on the unseen footage, saying about the video, "proving that I was telling the truth the whole time about **that call**" ... she then goes on to say it was edited and put her, her family and fans through hell for 4 years.

Clearly, Taylor's message didn't sit well with Kim ... "@taylorswift13 has chosen to reignite an old exchange - that at this point in time feels very self-serving given the suffering millions of real victims are facing right now ... because she continues to speak on it, I feel I’m left without a choice but to respond because she is actually lying."

"To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that “Kanye never called to ask for permission...” They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word “bitch” was used without her permission."

Kim continues, "In her statement when her team said she “declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message." The lie was never about the word bitch, It was always whether there was a call or not and the tone of the conversation."

Kim -- who posted parts of the video back in 2016 after the song's release -- also says she never edited the footage.

Kim also defended Kanye recording the call without Taylor's permission, saying, "Kanye has documented the making of all of his albums for his personal archive, however, has never released any of it for public consumption and the call between the two of them would have remained private or would have gone in the trash had she not lied and forced me to defend him."

As for whether or not the back and forth will continue? Kim says she's done speaking on it ... your move, Taylor.

Today in Drake's self-quarantine adventures ... Drizzy takes us on a walk through his unbelievable shoe collection!!!

And, yeah ... sneakerheads will be drooling by the end of this post.

Of course, Aubrey has plenty of time to kill in his Toronto mansion after he hung out with Kevin Durant in L.A. 2 weeks ago ... with the Brooklyn Nets superstar later testing positive for coronavirus.

Drake showed off his kicks on IG Monday (probably out of complete boredom) ... and the collection has everything from the $2,000 super rare Air Diors (reportedly only 8,500 pairs made) to an entire section of Kobe Bryant's signature shoes.

On top of that, Drake shows off his Off-White Jordan 5s ... Supreme Air Force 1s and the Jordan 5 Tokyo T23, which currently go for the $3,000 to $4,000 range.

And, don't forget -- Drizzy can wear these expensive-ass shoes on his OVO indoor court from the comfort of his own home ... but we hope he doesn't hoop in these!!

Tekashi 6ix9nine is so desperate to escape the coronavirus he'd rather take his chances outside of prison than risk the disease killing him while he's locked up.

6ix9ine's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, wrote a letter to the judge Sunday night citing serious concerns for Tekashi's wellbeing behind bars. Lazzaro says Tekashi suffers from asthma -- making catching coronavirus that much more serious -- and he wants him out ASAP.

In the letter -- obtained by TMZ -- Lazzaro also reveals Tekashi was diagnosed with bronchitis and sinusitis late last year and was hospitalized for treatment.

According to Lazzaro, the rapper has recently had shortness of breath, but prison officials won't let him see a doctor.

Tekashi has only a few months left of his 24-month sentence ... but Lazzaro says Tekashi can't risk staying locked up any longer ... his life is on the line.

Jon Bon Jovi has a fun way to pass the time and connect with your fellow Americans -- let's write a song together!!!

Jon has recorded the first verse of a song he calls, "Do What You Can." The inspiration for the title came to him last week when he was chipping in at the JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey. He was washing dishes -- something volunteers often do at the restaurant -- when someone snapped a pic of him. Jon got the pic and the idea to caption it, "If you can't do what you do, do what you can."

Jon is now asking everyone to join in and finish the song. Come up with a lyric and he'll look at the submissions and construct the tune.

The idea behind this ... we're all going through it together, so let's learn how to work together as well.

President Barack Obama sent a heartfelt, admiring letter to blues legend B.B. King just a month before he died, and the unique piece of history can be yours for ... for a pretty penny.

The personally signed piece of White House stationery -- equipped with the presidential seal on top -- was sent to an ailing King in April 2015 as he was dealing with multiple health issues caused by high blood pressure and diabetes.

Obama wrote he had heard of B.B.'s challenges and wanted to send him his "warmest wishes during this trying time."

44 went on to heap praise upon "The King of the Blues," saying, King had touched hearts, moved souls and lifted spirits for decades ... clearly, Barack was trying to do the same for B.B.

Obama ended the letter by saying he and Michelle were thinking of him and sending prayers.

This wasn't the first connection between the African-American icons ... the 2 shared the stage in 2010 at the National Christmas Tree Lighting.

The letter's up for grabs at Moments In Time via King's granddaughter Sylvia Williams, who says her mother gave it to her years ago. She says B.B. never imagined there would be a president of color in his lifetime ... let alone receive a personal letter from one.

King died in May 2015 -- just over a month after Obama sent this letter -- from vascular dementia caused by a series of small strokes as a consequence of his type 2 diabetes. Before he died, his daughters claimed he was a victim of elder abuse by his longtime manager -- and even alleged he may have died by poisoning -- but his autopsy showed no evidence of that.

Obama's get-well letter to King can be purchased for $17,500.

It's that time of the day again -- DJ D-Nice's virtual dance party is once again in full swing ... and the celebs who've already dropped in are quite the eclectic bunch.

The renowned disk jockey is hosting another night of #ClubQuarantine on his Instagram Live right now ... and the groovy tunes are already drawing famous faces handles from Mariah Carey, Spike Lee, Donnie Wahlberg, Brandy, Quincy Jones, Timbaland, Tyson Beckford DJ Pooh, Usher, Questlove, Jadakiss, Raekwon and many, many more who are listening.

These "parties" have become the biggest thing on the Internet over the past 48 hours -- with D-Nice slapping old funk tunes from his deep crate of music. Looks like he's doing it from his own home, and stars seem to be digging it ... judging by the comments of love.

On Saturday, celebs like Rihanna, Oprah, Michelle Obama ... and even Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Looks like just as many people will be tuning in for a second go-around.

Rita Wilson's killing time under quarantine with a little old school hip-hop -- and she apparently knows one of its gems by heart ... down to a freakin' tee!

The actress posted an awesome video over the weekend showing herself at her home in Australia -- this after she and her hubby, Tom Hanks, were recently released from a hospital there after testing positive for coronavirus. She's doing well, it seems ... well enough to spit bar for bar with the likes of Naughty By Nature.

In her home movie, Rita raps along to the group's cult classic hit, "Hip Hop Hooray," which if you're familiar with ... you know it's a down and dirty lyrical rhyme fest -- '90s style, baby.

Her attached caption is pretty on point with the content -- RW writes, "Quarantine Stir Crazy. See it to believe it." Very true ... 'cause her rap skills are unbelievable.

Now, we know what you're thinking ... any language in there she might wanna avoid? Nope! 'HHH' is mostly foul language-free (aside from one "s***," which Rita does drop) ... so it's all kosher as far as we can tell. Just good old wholesome social distance fun.

Plácido Domingo has tested positive for coronavirus.

The Spanish-born singer just said, “I feel it is my moral duty to announce to you that I have tested positive for COVID19, the Corona virus. My Family and I are all in self isolation for as long as it is deemed medically necessary. Currently we are all in good health but I experienced fever and cough symptoms therefore deciding to get tested and the result came back positive.”

He went on, “I beg everyone to be extremely careful, follow the basic guidelines by washing your hands frequently, keeping at least a 6 feet distance from others, doing everything you can to stop the virus from spreading and please above all stay home if you can ! Together we can fight this virus and stop the current worldwide crisis, so we can hopefully return to our normal daily lives very soon. Please follow your local government’s guidelines and regulations for staying safe and protecting not just yourselves but our entire community. Plácido Domingo”

The news comes a day after Domingo resigned from AGMA and donated $500,000 for a relief fund to help those during the crisis. The resignation came after a number of women accused the 79-year-old of sexual harassment.

Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden need to kill time somehow, now that all campaigns have taken a back seat to the coronavirus pandemic, so why not take in a concert with the likes of Michelle Obama, Rihanna and Mark Zuckerberg?

Well, yes, that's precisely what happened Saturday night when DJ D-Nice threw a Social Distancing Dance Party and more than 100,000 people, including Janet Jackson and Dwyane Wade, turned up and out.

It all went down on Instagram live and it lasted for hours! D-Nice said, "Music is a vibration.  It is a universal language. It is who I am. It is what I do as a DJ."

He went on ... "It is a part of my life's purpose to help people relax and enjoy themselves.  What was just a whim has become a movement in less than 4 days. I am honored by love and support."

Country music legend Kenny Rogers died Friday evening at his home, surrounded by his family.

Kenny was under hospice care at the time of his passing ... according to a rep for the singer, who also says Kenny died of natural causes.

The Country Music Hall of Famer was known for his impressive string of hits that crossed over to top 40 pop hit radio. The biggest of his 60-year career include, "The Gambler," "Coward of the County," "Lucille," "Lady" and his #1 duet with Dolly Parton, "Islands in the Stream."

Kenny has had serious health issues in the past. Back in 2018, he had to cancel the remaining dates of his 'Gambler's Last Deal' farewell tour due to unspecified "health challenges." When he was forced to cancel, Kenny joked, "I didn't want to take forever to retire."

The iconic singer was born and raised in Houston, and was the 4th of 8 children. He has 5 kids of his own, and got married 5 different times.

Kenny was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, and in 2017 he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. He's also won 13 American Music Awards, 6 CMAs, and 3 Grammy awards ... 2 of them for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

In addition to his sterling career on the mic, Kenny also dabbled in acting, appearing in movies and on TV. Some of his notable acting credits include the title role in "Kenny Rogers as The Gambler" and an awesome guest-starring spot on "The Muppet Show."

Rogers was also a very successful businessman, who co-founded the restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters. So, yes ... somewhere in the darkness, the Gambler broke way more than even.

Kenny was 81.

RIP

This will definitely make ya wanna kiss the sky -- a bunch of guitars played or owned by some of rock's biggest legends are up for auction.

The folks over at Gotta Have Rock and Roll are auctioning off a slew of famous guitars played and/or owned by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, among others.

Hendrix's 1967 electric guild Starfire V cherry guitar, leftie of course, is the priciest ... with a starting minimum bid of $250,000. It's expected to fetch upwards of $400k, and was used by Hendrix in May 1968 when he and Frank Zappa played an impromptu concert ... at a bar after a festival rainout

The guitar's in mint condition and the auctioneers have documentation of authenticity and a pic of Jimi shredding with it.

There's also Jimmy Page's burgundy Fender Stratocaster, which is expected to fetch around $150k. He used the guitar for several gigs when he stayed in Nevada in late May/early June 1991. Legend has it ... Jimmy strolled into a venue and a guitarist from a band performing there introduced himself. Jimmy ended up jamming with them several times.

Duane Alman's Fender Coronado II guitar is also expected to rack up $150k ...  Keith Richards' Gibson Flying V might go for about $125k ... while Eric Clapton's custom-made Taylor Sunburst guitar could nab $40k.

Ariana Grande urgently needs court-ordered protection from an obsessed fan ... we've learned she just filed for a restraining order.

The "7 Rings" singer filed legal docs Friday seeking a temporary protective order from the man who was arrested Saturday following a disturbing and scary visit to her Los Angeles home. Ariana's mother is also asking for protection.

As we first reported ... cops say a man in his 20s showed up at Ariana's house Saturday afternoon, somehow bypassing security and brazenly knocking on her door. Police arrested the man, and they say he had a love note to Ariana with directions to her place. He was booked for misdemeanor trespassing and felony battery, for allegedly spitting on the arresting officers.

It's been a scary month at Ariana's home ... someone also called 911 claiming shots were ringing out on the property, but police say it ended up being a swatting incident.